Identity Projection

Players think of and relate to their avatars in very different ways. Some choose to identify and personify their avatar with their own personality, while others objectify their avatar and see it as a pawn in an abstracted playing field. As the following graph shows, female players are more likely to see their characters as idealized version of themselves, and age has a greater effect on male than on female players.

Players who see their characters as idealized versions of themselves do not spend more time playing the game, but they do indicate a greater willingness to stay with the game indefinitely than players who disagreed with that statement, probably due to personal and emotional investment in their characters.